1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication systems and methods of operation. More particularly, the invention relates to an enhanced TV broadcasting system, method and program product using tags for incorporating local content into a communication stream containing program content.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many TV broadcasting stations, particularly cable systems and digital TV stations transmit programming content over an area in a communication stream using the MPEG-2 format. All station and cable viewers receive the same program content including the same commercials. Typically, there is little opportunity in such current broadcasting systems to include local programming contents or targeted commercials in the communication stream. An emerging technology called Enhanced TV (ETV) aids in inserting local program content and targeted commercials to station and cable viewers. Enhanced TV uses certain technologies from the Internet to deliver graphical and informational elements as components on the same screen as a video program. Once transmitted over the air or via telephone wires or cables, the components are televised on top of video programming as enhancements and viewed on traditional TV sets, computers, and on other video-ready digital products.
To the viewer, “enhancements” appear as graphical and sometimes purely informational elements on the screen and overlay a video broadcast. Often the enhancements are opaquely colored and cover the video broadcast in part or are transparent or semi-transparent. Specific reoccurring elements are icons, banners, labels, menus, information about the program, data one can print, open text fields in which one can insert an email address, or forms to fill out in order to buy a product. If the producer has done an adequate job, the enhancements will be relevant to the television programming beneath it. Alternatively, the TV broadcast can also be shrunk down on the TV screen to make room for the enhancements which may be displayed beside the TV broadcast. Also, the TV broadcast can be blanked out freeing the entire screen for display of the enhancements. An example of screen blanking is the Weather Channel, which every 10 minutes or so replaces the national feed by locally generated displays of the local weather. Regional commercials inserted by cable companies or by local broadcasters over the national feed are another example of screen blanking.
Sometimes the enhancements are interactive. To navigate and participate in such is interactive television broadcasts, viewers can use the buttons on the remote control, type commands or words with a wireless keyboard on certain systems, or use the mouse if experiencing interactive TV via a computer. Depending upon the network, the software on the settop box, or if also connected to the Internet, the viewer will receive access to an electronic programming guide (EPG); a special TV-online service containing links to local information; or applications such as email, games, home banking, community message boards, and many future applications.
In order to further implement enhanced TV there is a need to more effectively organize program content, send the program content into an MPEG-2 data injector which embeds the data into an MPEG-2 transport stream and then insert local content as enhancements into the transport stream.
Prior art related to enhanced TV broadcasting systems, includes:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,045 entitled “System and Method for Inserting Local Content into Programming Content” by M. R. Picco et al., issued Feb. 22, 2000, discloses transmitting a programming data stream and a local content digital data stream to a settop box in a house of a user. The settop box stores a predetermined portion of the pieces of local content data based on predetermined criteria and identifies a local content space in the programming data stream. The settop box may also select a particular piece of local content from the storing system to insert into the local content space in the programming data stream based on a plurality of predetermined preferences of the user. The selected piece of local content is retrieved from the storage and inserted into the programming data stream in the local content space so that the individualized local contents specific to the use of the settop box is inserted into the programming data stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,245 entitled “Location Base Selective Distribution of Generally Broadcast Information” by D. E. Ernest et al. issued Jun. 3, 1997, discloses a system for determining whether information broadcast by a general transmitter is relevant to a particular user based on location, velocity, and/or time of an object of interest. The system includes a remote terminal, a general broadcasting unit, a transmitter at the general broadcasting unit for broadcasting messages including a segment comprising a region, a velocity and/or time corresponding to an event as well as an event specific tag, and storage for storing selection criteria including current position, time and/or velocity information of the user and/or manually entered data of interest. The selection criteria may also include events specific tags. The receiver at the remote terminal receives a message from the transmitter of the general broadcasting unit. A navigational receiver may also be used to acquire navigational information from an appropriate external source. A matching processor at the remote terminal evaluates the segment of the messages, determines if the segment sufficiently matches the stored selection criteria and outputs a match signal. A processor in the remote unit receives the match signal and processes and disseminates the message in accordance with the match signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,222 entitled “Broadcast Method And System With Cell Tag Information For Multiple Self-Routing” by: S. Uriu et al., issued Jun. 3, 1997, discloses a self-routing switch for executing a broadcast in an ATM mode. The switching unit comprises a central controller, a tag information adder and a self-routing switch. The self-routing switch comprises a plurality of input and output lines. Unit switches are provided for each input line corresponding to each of the output lines. The tag information adder adds routing information for the self-routing switch to a cell transmitted to the self-routing switch. The routing information comprises a set of bits corresponding to each output line. The tag information adds to the cell the routing information in which a bit corresponding to an output line for transmitting the cell is set to predetermined logical value. In executing the broadcast, a plurality of bits corresponding to a plurality of output lines is set to a predetermined logical value. The self-routing switch analyzes the routing information of the cell received by each unit switch and outputs the cell to the output line if the bit corresponding to a unit switch is set to a predetermined logical value. If a plurality of bits of routing information is set to a predetermined value, the cell is outputted from a plurality of output lines thus enabling the broadcast.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,978 entitled “Communication Interface Employing Unique Tags Which Enable A Destination To Decode A Received Message Structure” by M. J. Dockter et al., issued Jul. 18, 1998, discloses a communication interface for producing messages in accord with a protocol. Each message comprises at least a first level message structure with a unique tag value that identifies a class of massage structures to which the first level message structure belongs. A unique tag value enables identification of a grammar template procedure that allows analysis of a first level message structure. A destination node receives the first level message structure and includes circuitry for determining the unique tag value. A memory in the destination stores at addresses indicated by unique tag values, grammar template procedures for each class of first level message structures. A processor at the destination node is responsive to a detected unique tag value to access a grammar template procedure at an address in the memory determined from a received unique tag value and to analyze the first level message structure in accordance with the access grammar template procedure. A second level message structure includes a further unique tag value and comprises an assembly group of first level message structures.
None of the prior art discloses an enhanced TV broadcasting system and method of operation transmitting audio/visual program content and enabling local enhancements to be inserted under or as a splice in the program content at each local receiver in a convenient and timely manner.